Surface Grinder for a hobbyist

[Driveslayer45]

Well I've decided, I'm going tomorrow to look at it... We'll see how it goes.

Anyone have one if these, does the table just lift off?

 

[Cadillac]

I have one the table just lifts off. Better to have 2 people for being awkward not to heavy.

 

[Grandpop]

If you are talking about a Boyar Shultz, then yes, it lifts straight up. May have a bit of suction holding it, so slide to one end of travel and lift that side up first.

No reason to take a table off to move the grinder UNLESS the machine has rollers or balls under the table. With a normal BS lock the table down in center of stroke, crank table towards rear, place a 2x4 under the spindle, then lower the spindle onto the 2x4 so it can't bounce. All the BS that I ever saw were bolted to the base cabinet, so no danger of it coming off the base

 

[mmcmdl]

I bought my Micromaster from a shop that bought it from the place I served my apprenticeship at . I found my tag inside the electrical box when examining the grinder . We powered it up and ran thru the feeds , then loaded it onto my trailer . It now rests in the back of the garage , unpowered still . One of these days .................!

 

[DiscoDan]

Here is one near me in Virginia. Smallish and looks lightly used.

Surface grinder (ideal for home machinist) - tools - by owner - sale

This is a small 6x12 surface grinder that is ideal for the home machinist because it runs on...

washingtondc.craigslist.org

 

[C-Bag]

Same design as the second one I was looking at. That is Central Machinery, not General. Harbor Freight. So even though I have a shop full of their stuff I'd be very skeptical this would be useful for precision work. The one I was looking at was the original maker from Tiawan and even had roller guides. But it's very light for a surface grinder. I talked to guy down to $500 with a new little mag Chuck and decided it was going in the wrong direction.

 

[wlburton]

Here's another twist on this topic: I just picked up a little Sanford bench top surface grinder for a fairly low amount of money. The spindle had been converted to a Sopko tapered type, using 1 1/4" hole wheels and wheel adapters. Since these are made to use 4" wheels, and no one sells a 4" wheel with a 1 1/4" hole, the ones that came with it were obviously reduced down from larger wheels. There are enough of them that with my level of use I may never need to grind down another one. The spindle seems good but there is visible wear on the X-axis ways and the motor seems like it might need bearings some time (it's a little noisy). The table needs to be flattened (probably because of the wear on the ways) so I haven't ground in the new Shars 4' X 6" magnetic chuck that I bought yet. I had never operated a surface grinder before, and to be honest I think my use will be more for aesthetic finishes than super precision. I made a wheel dresser holder for it and quickly ground the top and bottom of it and was very satisfied with the finish that I got, considering it was my first time grinding. I understand that most people buying surface grinders are striving for perfection and extreme accuracy, but I'm very happy that I have the chance to enter the world of surface grinders even if this one isn't perfect. It was fairly cheap and is small enough to fit in the shop space I have available. If I find a lot of uses for it in the future that will be the time for me to start looking for a "perfect" one.

 

[Driveslayer45]

Ok, just got home with it. I heard no noises when it's running, it seems to run smooth.. I need to order a vfd and a mag Chuck, as well as wheels. Any suggestions on grinding wheels? It looks like a 1.25" bore.

 

[mmcmdl]

General purpose wheel / Norton 32A 46 or 60 , g or h . Silican carbide ( green ) for carbide .

Grinding & Cutting Wheels

Browse the vast selection of Norton grinding and cutting wheels. From cut-off wheels and toolroom wheels to diamond and cBN products, Norton has the wheel to meet your requirements.

www.nortonabrasives.com

 

[C-Bag]

Ok, just got home with it. I heard no noises when it's running, it seems to run smooth.. I need to order a vfd and a mag Chuck, as well as wheels. Any suggestions on grinding wheels? It looks like a 1.25" bore.

Man I wish that Chevalier would have looked like that. Looks like a winner, good job.